One of the biggest storylines in the NBA right now is Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons and his return to Philadelphia to face off against his former team in the Sixers. The former Rookie of the Year won't be taking part in the actual game, but this hasn't stopped Philly fans from getting all excited about the opportunity to boo their former star once they set their sights on him.

Nets big man Andre Drummond, who himself was also part of the Sixers prior to the Ben Simmons-James Harden blockbuster trade, has spoken out about the situation at hand. The veteran big man knows what Sixers fans are all about and he anticipates a hostile atmosphere for his Nets. However, Drummond is keeping his eye on the prize:

“I think tonight's gonna be a playoff-like atmosphere,” said Drummond on Thursday morning, via Justin Grasso of FanNation. “We just got to play our best game, you know, we can't let the crowd get into our head. It's gonna be a crazy night but we're here to win.”

Drummond then shared his thoughts on Simmons and his highly-anticipated return to Philly. According to the Nets big man, he firmly believes that Simmons shouldn't be too fazed by how the Sixers fans will be jeering him all night long:

“Ben is shooting jump shots right now so I don't think he's really worried about what's to come,” said Drummond. “At the end of the day, this is a kid’s sport. Fans are involved in games and they have their feelings towards players. Obviously, what he did obviously is none of my business, I wasn't there for it, but he's my teammate now and he seems to be in a good space.”

Drummond is obviously steering clear of any discussion pertaining to Simmons' unceremonial exit from the Sixers. Drummond also spent several months playing in Philly so he likely still has some affinity towards the organization and the fans. Nevertheless, as he said, he's still teammates with Ben Simmons right now and there's just no way Drummond is going say anything against him.

Drummond intends to take a high-road approach when it comes to the fans. He's completely focused on the task at hand, which is doing everything he can to help the Nets defeat the Sixers:

“I just know I got 48 minutes to play,” he finished. “What the fans do, that's completely on them. How they want to conduct themselves and how they want to represent themselves, it's completely on them. I can't control that. I just have to be out there and play a game.”

Drummond has started nine games for the Nets thus far and he's actually looked quite good. Right now, the former two-time All-Star is averaging 10.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He has been a key cog for a shorthanded Brooklyn side and he's expected to play a major role for the squad the rest of the way.

The same cannot be said about Simmons, though, at least for right now. The Australian is still dealing with a lingering back issue that has prevented him from making his Nets debut. It would have been quite the narrative if he played his first game as a Net against the Sixers in Philadelphia, but this just wasn't meant to be.